Excerpt of newsletter from Southbridge school principal Peter Verstappen
National Standards – the board meets MP Amy Adams
On Monday the board of trustees met with our local MP, Amy Adams, to discuss the National Standards. The board explained to Mrs. Adams that our decision not to introduce the Standards at this time is driven by our desire to complete our work of introducing the new curriculum, an important and long-term project for us, and by our concerns about the accuracy of the Standards and how they are being introduced.
The board told Mrs Adams that we support the call for a trial of the Standards. She listened carefully, explained the government’s point of view and agreed to take our concerns to the Minister of Education. She did not offer any hope of the minister agreeing to a trial or making any other concessions.
Following the meeting the board has agreed that we will continue with our present position regarding the Standards and simply get on with doing our job of teaching your child. We will not let the National Standards debate distract us but we will follow it with interest. National Standards appear to have sprung from parent criticism about how well schools report student achievement. I agree that some schools haven’t done well in producing reports that are easily understood by parents. I think we do better at Southbridge but to make sure we’ve committed ourselves to a review of how we assess children and how we report to you. We will work with parents to make sure our reporting is clear, meaningful and constructive. You can contact me at any time to let me know what you think of our portfolios, learning conferences and other reporting methods.
With this newsletter you will receive a brochure about National Standards. In support of the call for a trial of the Standards we encourage you to sign a petition. You can sign at the school office and you may pick up a petition form from the office if you want to gather more signatures.
Trial National Standards, not our kids!
*Kia mau ki te whakaako*
visit handsupforlearning to support the campaign
On Monday the board of trustees met with our local MP, Amy Adams, to discuss the National Standards. The board explained to Mrs. Adams that our decision not to introduce the Standards at this time is driven by our desire to complete our work of introducing the new curriculum, an important and long-term project for us, and by our concerns about the accuracy of the Standards and how they are being introduced.
The board told Mrs Adams that we support the call for a trial of the Standards. She listened carefully, explained the government’s point of view and agreed to take our concerns to the Minister of Education. She did not offer any hope of the minister agreeing to a trial or making any other concessions.
Following the meeting the board has agreed that we will continue with our present position regarding the Standards and simply get on with doing our job of teaching your child. We will not let the National Standards debate distract us but we will follow it with interest. National Standards appear to have sprung from parent criticism about how well schools report student achievement. I agree that some schools haven’t done well in producing reports that are easily understood by parents. I think we do better at Southbridge but to make sure we’ve committed ourselves to a review of how we assess children and how we report to you. We will work with parents to make sure our reporting is clear, meaningful and constructive. You can contact me at any time to let me know what you think of our portfolios, learning conferences and other reporting methods.
With this newsletter you will receive a brochure about National Standards. In support of the call for a trial of the Standards we encourage you to sign a petition. You can sign at the school office and you may pick up a petition form from the office if you want to gather more signatures.
Trial National Standards, not our kids!
*Kia mau ki te whakaako*
visit handsupforlearning to support the campaign
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